The 2016-17 season of the English Premier League will kick off on 13 August 2016 and football fans from around the world are already excited. With some of the best managers in the world like Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, the league will promise to be a massive entertainer. The biggest talking point among fans in the recent weeks is to see which manager comes out on top in what is going to be a battle between some of the best.
Will it be Mourinho who steals the show or will Guardiola take the Premier League by storm? Can Arsene Wenger break the jinx or will Mauricio Pochettinio ensure the Gunners will not celebrate another St. Totteringham’s day? Will it be crazy Jurgen Klopp or the composed Antonio Conte bringing home a trophy? Or will Claudio Ranieri show the world that Leicester is now a top dog?
Well, we can't be sure about it, but here is an analysis of some of the weaknesses among the aforementioned managers that could make or break their seasons.
1) Jose Mourinho
‘Jose Mourinho’s red and white army’ chanted the Manchester United fans as the Portuguese managed the team for the first time again Wigan Athletic. The darling of the Chelsea fans will now be seen in the Old Trafford dug-out as Manchester United bid to make their way back to the top of the Premier League.
The Portuguese manager has conquered Europe by winning a league title in Portugal, Spain, Italy and England but also winning a Champions League with Inter and Porto.
Jose’s impressive career as a manager slowly started to fade away after an arguably lacklustre campaign in Spain with Real Madrid. That was followed by three years at Chelsea which ended with his resignation leaving Chelsea outside the top 10.
Since his departure, many pundits have claimed that Jose Mourinho’s style of football has begun to become predictable. Many have also claimed that Jose Mourinho brings with him short term success but cannot build a legacy around him in a single club. While there is enough proof to back these claims, Mourinho might want to prove his pundits wrong in the upcoming season.
2) Arsene Wenger
The Frenchman, who led the Gunners to a Premier League trophy without a single loss in 2004-05, will be hoping to win back his fans in the 2016-17 season. Arsene Wenger, widely considered to be one of the greatest managers in the Premier League has not won the league since that incredible season.
This led to many Arsenal fans calling for his resignation in the past two years. After finishing second in the 2015/16, Wenger’s men will be looking to go one better.
The biggest weakness of Arsene Wenger is his stubbornness. The Arsenal manager has stuck to a few players despite their average performances and seems to lack the determination and ruthlessness that he did in 2004 when Arsenal last won the title.
Wenger hasn't invested much in a striker and a defender, the two weakest positions for Arsenal. Although the Gunners are linked with Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain, Wenger’s chances of proving his critics wrong look slim.
3) Jurgen Klopp
The ex-Borussia Dortmund manager moved to Liverpool after seven successful seasons with Borussia Dortmund that included two Bundesliga titles. He took over at Anfield after Brendan Rodgers was shown the door and has quickly gone on the become a popular figure among the fans.
Despite his success with Dortmund, there is always a doubt surrounding his experience managing a heavyweight team like Liverpool. Many pundits have in the past blasted Klopp for over-training his players leading to fatigue and in many cases injuries.
Klopp is a manager who wears his heart on his sleeve and on many occasions his emotions get the better of him. His tactics have also been questioned on many occasions and is known to be tactically weak when compared to the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
4) Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola signed a deal with Manchester City after 3 years with the Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich where he won the league three years in a row. Prior to his stint at Bayern, the Spaniard had 4 glorious years with Barcelona where he won 14 trophies including a sextuple in his first year in charge of the club. While many of the players who have worked under him regard him as one of the greatest tacticians and coaches ever, many others are sceptical about his success at Manchester.
Pep’s first weakness comes from the fact that both Barcelona and Bayern Munich were European super powers and were loaded with some world class players. In the Spanish league his only rivals were Real Madrid and in the Bundesliga he was unrivalled. However, the Premier League is a different ball game altogether as he will have to face competition from at least six other strong teams.
For the first time in his career, Pep will have to play world class teams on almost a weekly basis while he also hopes to make his mark in Europe. His away record in European games is another big concern for the Citizens.
Manchester City will be hoping that he could replicate his success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich but it looks like a herculean task even for a man like Pep.
5) Antonio Conte
The Italian was roped in by Chelsea after two years as the coach of the Azzurri. Antonio Conte gained popularity as a manager after his three years with Juventus in the Serie A when he won the league title in each season. His ability to play with different formations, even the ones never heard of before and succeed, was one of the qualities that impressed the Italian media.
Under Conte, the defensive style of play with Juventus and then with Italy looked like an art. His style of play could be perfect for Chelsea and will be considered one of the favourites to win the league.
His biggest weakness, however, comes from his inability to adapt to different situations during the game. Conte's reserved style of play, sometimes makes it look like the Italian is playing to avoid losing rather than winning the game.
6) Mauricio Pochettino
Despite finished third in the Premier League last season, Pochettino and his young Tottenham side have a lot to be proud of. Spurs were major title contenders throughout the season and were one of the most dominant sides in the league apart from the disappointing last month. Many pundits also lauded Mauricio’s managerial style where he likes his players to build from the back and press for the balls when they are out of possession.
The biggest weakness for Pochettino would be the fact that he doesn’t seem to have the ability to handle multiple tournaments easily. He has never been tested in the UEFA Champions League before and coping up with both the Champions League while attempting to stay ahead in the league would be a tough task for the Argentine,
Pochettino struggled to juggle the competitions well last season as Tottenham were knocked out of the Europa League and FA Cup despite fielding strong sides.
7) Claudio Ranieri
The last manager in our analysis is the Premier League Champion, Leicester City’s Claudio Ranieri. The 64-year-old Italian’s first ever league title came from the unlikeliest source in Leicester City. The Foxes shocked the world with their fantastic campaign, winning the Premier Leauge by a whopping 10 point gap.
Although Claudio Ranieri has already ignored claims that Leicester will be looking to repeat the feat saying that it would be very tough to replicate it, many still rate them highly after last season’s success. Ranieri’s most obvious weakness comes from his inconsistency. He has had decent stints at Chelsea and Monaco while his second stint with Valencia as well as his time at Roma and Greece were quite the opposite.
Ranieri isn’t known building a squad that can sustain a fight for a top four spot for years to come. He has made attempts to build a squad for the future with some of his signings but only time will tell us if they are good enough.
